‘Gilt Taste’ Is Drool-Worthy, But Where Are the Deals?

Foodies of the world rejoice, now amazing foods and food products that the finest chefs around the world use can be ours no matter what podunk town in which we reside. Gilt Groupe, the company that offers fabulous discounts on fashion, has now ventured in the food space, and this week, Gilt Taste was born.

Or sorta born anyway. It's currently in beta, but oh the things you can find there make me fear for my credit card. It's like the Williams-Sonoma catalog on crack, but with more of everything. It also serves as an online magazine that will educate us all about the finer things in life when it comes to food with articles like "The Thrill of the Mushroom Hunt."

It's lovely and oh so appetizing, and I could (and perhaps already have) spend hours getting lost in the content and fancy products imagining how I will entertain my family and friends with delicious, decadent fare. Only I think they may have gotten the spelling wrong. Because Gilt Taste doesn't cater to the bargain shopper by far. Guilt Taste may be more like it, as one clever blogger parodied.

For example, if it's good grilling you're after, why not go for the finest. You can have world famous Flannery's Reserve steaks delivered right to your door. At $128 plus shipping for four 12-ounce rib eyes ... you better not drop one.

If it's your sweet tooth you want to satisfy, there are Droga Chocolates from San Francisco ($39.95 plus shipping for a two-box set) and an Almond, Hazelnut, Pistachio trio from John & Kira that sells for $66. The cheeses (oh the cheeses) from New York's Murray's Cheeses range from a $24-a-pound La Peral to an entertaining assortment of cheeses that will run you $145. There are caviar service sets ($64) and a 14-ounce can of truffle juice for $112.

While some of it is hard to swallow when you think of all the people starving in the world, we all have our indulgences. So if fine food is your thing, Gilt Taste seems a good way to get it ... or a good way to kill some time daydreaming at work.

But guilt aside, the thing I don't like about the site is there are no discounts listed. That's what I love about the fashion site -- it shows me how much I'm saving (so I can then show my husband what a deal I got), and it makes me want to scoop things up. Gilt Taste just lists a price that I guess may or may not be a deal, which is less appealing. Those $148 steaks may be a huge bargain if the original price was $500, but the site doesn't tell me, and I don't want to be bothered to look it up.

In any case, if you haven't yet visited the site, check it out and let me know what you think. Just be warned, it will make you hungry.